In this book, Ken Blanchard explains why the title of
the book is such. He said that the title contains the phrase “One Minute” because
often the best advice we get in life and in business is told in one minute.

The story in the book is told like a parable and the
theme is on entrepreneurship. The protagonist is Jud McCarley who as an
entrepreneur was beset with challenges commonly encountered by any
entrepreneur.

The lessons one can draw from Jud’s success story are;

1.The importance of taking down notes of advises received2.The imperative of having a mentor
to turn to for expertise3.Empowering employees
to take responsibility for business

4.Taking care of
customers5.A strength taken
to its extreme can be a liability6.If nobody will
pay you to do what you love, you have a hobby not a career7.The real meaning of
giving back to society

Why I highly recommend this book is that it has “One
Minute Insights” provided at the end of every chapter. These portions highlight
the lessons in each chapter which every entrepreneur has to learn.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

One of the events to celebrate the Philippine Independence Day 2013 in Korea was the Filipino Food Festival held at Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel. This featured Chef Sau del Rosario's culinary expertise.

The foods were served in buffet style. In Chef Sau's distinctive culinary style, he fused various Filipino cuisines into one. An example is lechon kawali with kare-kare sauce and bagoong. There was also stewed fish with a delectable sauce. There were several Filipino deserts served and one will always be reminded of home.

Me with Chef Sau del Rosario at the Filipino Food Festival buffet.

Performance of Filipino ethnic dance from Mindanao. The event was attended by H.E. Ambassador Luis Cruz, the ambassador then to South Korea. He was seen here seated in the front table.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

If you are into fine dining, Top Cloud is for you. It is a very elegant restaurant in downtown Seoul perfect for dating or intimate celebrations such as Mother's or Father's Day or wedding anniversary celebrations. Though the restaurant is quite pricey, it's all worth it for the food they serve.

Arial view of downtown Seoul from Top Cloud.

The elegant ambiance of the restaurant.

Freshly brewed coffee at Top Cloud.

The restaurant is located on the topmost floor of Jongno Tower in downtown Seoul.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

If you are an art enthusiast visiting Seoul, the Seoul Museum of Art is for you. It is located near City Hall but obscured by the Deoksugung Palace. It is a good place to view contemporary art exhibits. It also has an art shop where you can buy art pieces or paintings.

The manicured lawn to the museum.

The façade of the museum.

A garden art located in the museum lawn during spring.

For updates on exhibitions at the museum, you may visit the museum's website below.

Friday, June 20, 2014

It has been said that Seoul is the "Soul of Asia". Indeed, one can experience this as he or she traverses the streets of Seoul. Here are my pictures as I toured the city center. (Note: I have a separate blog post for Gyeongbuk Palace because it is an icon of Korea and a major tourist attraction.)

The National Assembly taken from the other side of Han-gang.

The Bank of Korea

The fountain in front of Shinsegae Mall which was dedicated to laborers.

The Korean Post Office

The starting point of Cheonggyecheon, the stream in downtown Seoul.

The Cheonggyecheon during spring time.

In front of King Sejong's statue. King Sejong is hailed as the greatest Korean King. He invented Hangeul, Korea's artificial language.

Behind me is the statue of Admiral Yi Sunshin.

YMCA in downtown Seoul.

Entrance to Jogyesa Temple.

The main altar of Jogyesa Temple.

The Foreigners' Cemetery in Seoul.

The resting place of Homer B. Hulbert, who fell in love with Korea that he said "I would rather be buried in Korea than in Westminster Abbey."

Tomb of Kim Daejung, Korean president from 1998-2003 and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in year 2000.

Tomb of Mr. and Mrs. Park Chunghee. They are the parents of current president of Korea, Park Geun Hye. President Park was the exponent of Korean chaebols or business conglomerates which helped propel the Korean economy.

This book is very
inspiring and apt for those who want to find the inner treasure in their lives.
There were several stories or anecdotes related by Dr. Conwell but in this
review, let me focus on the main story.

It started with his
voyage in 1870 at Baghdad where they hired a local tourist guide to bring them
to Persepolis, Nineveh and Babylon, and the ancient countries of Assyria as far
as the Arabian Gulf. That local tourist guide told them a story of a wealthy
man named Al Hafed who owned a large parcel of land.

One day, Al Hafed was
visited by an ancient Buddhist priest who told him how the world was created
and how granite, silver, gold and diamond were formed. The priest declared that
“diamond is the last and highest of God's
mineral creations.”He further said
that if he had a handful of diamonds he can buy an entire country and he can
put his children to thrones because of his wealth. Having learned of that, he
went to sleep feeling poor even though he had not lost a fortune. He stayed
awake all night and thought of how he can acquire a diamond mine.

The following morning,
he consulted the priest of where is the possible location of diamonds. The
priest told him that it is in the river running through white sands between
high mountains. So he decided to find that place and sold his farm and left his
family to a neighbor.

In his search for
diamonds, he reached as far as Europe and he had spent all his money. When he
reached Spain, he was so poor. Until he found himself in the shore and cast
himself into the incoming tide and sank beneath the seas.

The other side of the
story was about the man who purchased Al Hafed’s land. He had his camel drink
water from the shallow stream found in that land. As the camel put its nose on
the stream, there was a strange flash of light from a black pebble. They took
that pebble home and left it on the table. A few days after, the same priest
visited the house and recognized the pebble as a diamond. In his amazement,
he supposed that Al Hafed already came back home but the purchaser of the land
said that he had not come back yet. After that, they went to the garden and dug
the place where the pebble was found. There, they found even higher quality
diamonds.

As this story would
teach us, sometimes we look too far to find our “real treasure.” We should also
look for treasures within ourselves or sphere of influence. For sometimes, it
is camouflaged in less obvious ways.

The second part of the
book discusses the achievements of Dr. Conwell and how he was as a person.
Robert Shackleton portrayed Dr. Conwell vividly with his first-hand account as
a member of his congregation. He said that Dr. Conwell is such an inspiring
person who can brush up people to achieve certain goals. He did this as a
lawyer, soldier, educator and preacher.